Accrington Stanley 1 Notts County 2

Littlewoods Pools came to that conclusion because the Magpies have fired 35 managers since 1945 and switched divisions 28 times.

Well life for the Accrington Stanley faithful is hardly a bed of roses either.

And on the final whistle on Saturday, Reds boss John Coleman looked and sounded as if he would be dialling the Samaritans after watching two horrendous defensive mistakes gift County the points and leave his side balancing precariously just one spot above the drop zone.

He said: "It's like a bad dream that keeps recurring and it's driving me insane to be honest.

"I feel like crying again."

Goalkeeper Rob Elliot may also have spent Saturday night in a dark room and central defenders Robbie Williams and Michael Welch could have joined him.

Stanley haven't kept a clean sheet since victory over Torquay in October and it was clear early on that this match wasn't going to break that duck.

County's first goal was bad - David Pipe's long hopeful ball from the half way line was flicked on by Jason Lee. It passed through the legs of Williams, who was all at sea, and Dudfield simply found the bottom corner of the net.

And their second one was, as Coleman himself described, a "comic book, joke goal", this just minutes after David Brown had clawed Stanley level.

A long ball through from Kevin Pilkington was headed powerfully back towards his own goal by Welch and on-loan Elliot, under no pressure, spilled the ball into the path of Lee, who had the simplest of tasks to just stroke the ball into the empty net.

As the ball bounced over the line, the home supporters behind the goal could barely believe it and Stanley assistant manager Jimmy Bell cut a forlorn figure in the dugout as he simply stood and shook his head.

Coleman added: "You can be the best coach in the world, you can have the best players in front of you, but if your goalkeeper makes a mistake like that, there's no legislating for it.

"The first goal, you instruct players to pick people up and they don't pick them up. Okay, we were a little bit unlucky with the lad that gets a ricochet, but we got ourselves back into the game and I thought there was only going to be one winner.

"But then to concede the second goal was absolutely heartbreaking. And, to be fair to the players who were playing, it must have affected them."

Two shots, two goals, it was as simple as that. And the Magpies only went on to hit the target a further two times throughout the rest of the match.

But the damage had been done with those two defensive disasters.

And the afternoon's misery was compounded midway through the second half when Reds debutant right back Alan Rogers saw red for a two-footed lunge on County's Pipe - who was himself also sent off for retaliation. The resulting scuffle on the touchline saw Magpies boss Steve Thompson sent to the stands for comments directed at the referee.

The experienced former Nottingham Forest defender Rogers replaced youngster Rikki Bains in the line-up, who has just extended his stay at the Fraser Eagle Stadium, but who wasn't even listed among the substitutes.

And, as expected, Benin international Rommy Boco started the match in the centre of midfield after spending the last 12 weeks out injured.

There were no signs of rustiness in his play though and every Stanley attack seemed to stem from his boots.

As early as the sixth minute he signalled his intentions by latching onto a Paul Mullin knock down and unleashing a rasping drive from the edge of the area that Pilkington did well to touch over the bar. Rogers, too, fizzed an effort inches over.

But then came the opening installment of Stanley's calamity capers that gifted County their first goal.

Undaunted, however, the home side picked themselves up and dusted themselves down, and were back on level terms just five minutes later.

And Boco was at the heart of it, picking up the ball from a throw in and teasing his way across the area before directing a shot towards goal. His effort struck the legs of Mullin, but Brown was first to react, poking the ball in off the post.

Unfortunately part two of the bloopers display was just around the corner - and this one knocked the stuffing out of the home side.

Brown had a couple of half chances in a dour first-half that were saved by Pilkington and Stanley had several free kicks right across the edge of the area, but they failed to capitalise.

Shaun Whalley, down the left wing, was a livewire and his speed certainly caused problems for the County defence, but he was too often let down by trying to take on one too many players or delivering a poor final ball.

If anyone looked like scoring for the Reds then it was Rogers who had another spectacular effort touched over the bar minutes after the restart.

But they were almost caught on the counter attack and Dudfield should have put the game to bed, but selfishly shot at goal instead of squaring the ball for Lee, who was unmarked in the middle. Elliot smothered the attempt, but he had a long way to go to make up for his earlier clanger.

Dudfield was again denied when he connected with an Alan White free kick and he could only watch as his shot trickled across the goal line and out for a goal kick.

It was a rare spell of pressure enjoyed by the visitors and Elliot was on hand again to deny them their third goal, stopping Lee at the back post.

The game burst into life with the double sending off, but it soon deteriorated again into toothless attack and nervous defence from Stanley.

There were half hearted cries for a penalty when Mullin took a tumble inside the area, but given Stanley's luck at the moment, they probably would have missed it anyway.

Daniel Powter's hit song Bad Day was played over the tannoy on the final whistle - it seems Coleman is having more bad than good these days.